Letter from papal delegate outlines some initial conclusions from apostolic visitation to the consecrated members in Regnum Christi.

Cardinal Velasio De Paolis, papal delegate for the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi.

Rome, October 17, 2011. In a letter addressed to the
Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi consecrated members, the papal
delegate, Cardinal Velasio De Paolis, shared some initial conclusions from
the recent apostolic visitation to the consecrated members.

The letter
began by recalling that “in his apostolic visitation, carried out
from January to June 2011, His Excellency Ricardo Blázquez, archbishop
of Valladolid, has met almost all of the consecrated
members of Regnum Christi in a number of countries, whether
in group meetings or individual interviews.”

Cardinal De Paolis commented
that in September, he and his Council read through the
visitator’s report for the first time and have exchanged reflections
in a joint meeting with the Legionaries and consecrated members
of Regnum Christi.

On the one hand, the apostolic visitation found
that “at a personal level the consecrated members are grateful
for their vocation and live their consecration to God according
to the evangelical counsels with joy, aware that they render
a valuable service to the Church with their self-giving.” On
the other hand, on the institutional level, it also found
that there are many and challenging issues that will have
to be handled “with the people that are first affected,
that is, the consecrated persons.”

The papal delegate then covered one
of those questions, explaining that there is a generally positive
judgment about the relationship between the Legion and the consecrated
members in Regnum Christi due to the good fruits that
it has borne in the apostolate. However, he noted that
the members desire “a proper autonomy – which the consecrated
persons should enjoy, and which pertains to them as a
form of association within the Church,” while maintaining with the
Legionaries of Christ “a link of participation, even if specified
in a distinct manner, in the same charism, spirituality, and
apostolate, thus saving a precious inheritance.” Thus, the next step
will be to find “an adequate configuration that corresponds to
Canon Law in order to better conserve, promote and develop
this treasure.”

As with the Legionaries of Christ, the papal delegate
said that the path ahead will be an “important and
challenging period to study the issues that will come up”
and that the main means will be “serious, appropriate and
decision-oriented reflection” to be held with “all those involved, according
to each one’s responsibility, whether at the individual or collective
level.”

Until the concrete channels for this process are defined, Cardinal
De Paolis established some provisional guidelines: the reflection process will
unfold “under the responsibility of the Pontifical Delegate for the
congregation of the Legionaries of Christ, assisted by his personal
councilors.” The Statutes of Regnum Christi approved by the Holy
See “remain in force” and “the superior general of the
Legionaries conserves authority over the consecrated persons according to the
current regulations contained in the Statutes.” However, just as it
was established for the Legionaries, “all of the important decisions
regarding the consecrated women and men of Regnum Christi, particularly
admission of new consecrated persons, transfers, nominations and the dismissals
or dispensations from promises, will need the approval of the
Pontifical Delegate, after hearing the opinion of the general assistant
of the consecrated women or the consecrated men.”

Cardinal De Paolis
also indicated that there will no longer be a priest
delegate of the general director or territorial directors to deal
with matters pertaining to the consecrated women of Regnum Christi.

Finally, he stipulated that “all that has been established for
the Legionaries of Christ concerning spiritual direction, the sacrament of
penance, correspondence and the use of the Internet, and the
protection of the conscience in dialogue with superiors also applies
to the consecrated women and men of Regnum Christi,” emphasizing
that the directors are “required to diligently provide that sufficient
and suitable ordinary and extraordinary confessors be available for the
consecrated women and men, and that among these there always
be priests who do not belong to the Legion of
Christ.”

Cardinal De Paolis concluded his letter by exhorting the members
to “begin and to walk this path of personal and
community reflection in an environment of prayer, dialogue, and respect
in order to bring to completion the beautiful reality of
consecrated life in Regnum Christi in the Church.”

The complete text
of the letter can be read at this link.
The original Italian version can be read here.